Dom pretty much answered that one for me. I will just add that once the surface fabric of your goretex garment saturates out it doesn't pass vapor out through the membrane anymore to a significant degree. So in that regard it becomes no more breathable than solid PVC or something.

Don't get me wrong, I definitely use W/B fabrics when appropriate. They just work better when you know their limitations, plan accordingly, and incorporate them as part of a system instead of relying completely on the membrane to do more work than it's capable of.

Also, a lot of the work that you think your new W/B garment is doing to repel water is actually the result of a DWR (durable water repellent) coating applied to the surface. The result of the DWR can be seen when water beads up and rolls off the garment instead of saturating the surface fabric. The DWR eventually wears off, significantly reducing performance.

For anyone interested, here's a little further reading on the subject. It's written from a Scottish mountaineering perspective, but applicable to anything. Several other articles on the site are also worth reading if you find the subject of foul weather clothing interesting.

yeah, really the key to staying comfortable in the rain while active is more wicking and airflow than trying to keep a barrier between your skin and the weather. this is why i use an umbrella backpacking too. i get hot when i'm hiking up a hill and if i'm wearing w/b clothes i sweat too fast for the "breathable" aspect of goretex to keep up. and if the goretex is also getting wet from the outside then i'm basically soaked all the way through, despite the membrane. it's miserable. but -- if i'm wearing highly-breathable clothes and have an umbrella to keep the rain off then i don't get wet from the inside or outside. the schoeller pants i mentioned are uncoated and super-breathable, so my legs don't sweat in them, but their weave is also water-resistant enough to keep wet brush from soaking them. some water does cling to the fabric rather than beading up, but it doesn't soak the fibers, so they dry fast from body heat.

that's the other key for all-day comfort in the rain: wear lightweight fabrics that have a chance to dry off while you're still outside. if you have a "roof" (umbrella or tarp) then even in 100% humidity you can dry your clothes with a little body warmth if they are light enough and breathable enough and relatively hydrophobic. i have a marmot driclime windshirt that's a bit too delicate for golfing (since i don't stay on the fairway enough), but is awesome for hiking because it's so light and breathable. it's not really very water-resistant, but the shell is so light that any water that does soak in evaporates from body heat when i'm moving. i can wear it for hours in a drizzle with no umbrella and it will be surprisingly dry the whole time as long as i'm active enough to stay warm.

mark12b wrote:i have a marmot driclime windshirt that's a bit too delicate for golfing (since i don't stay on the fairway enough), but is awesome for hiking because it's so light and breathable.

I have 2 of those. They are unsurpassed. It's by far my most often used piece of upper body clothing for disc in inclement weather of any kind (and any other outdoor activity). I have never snagged the fabric on either of them in the rough, even though I have ruined several tech polo tees in that way.

I need to ensure the SS will fit my large noggin (size 8.125) and if so I'll add it to my gear.

I played in my new Salomon GTX and wool socks, there was some water penetration (above the toes) after 27 holes in light rain and wet grass. Still my feet would have been soaked and uncomfortable in my non-GTX Merrellls.

I'll be using the GTX shoes with Sealskinz and see how that goes, my next move if that doesn't keep the feet comfy would be a rubber type boot